Ground connection device



May 15, 1934. 1- c FlEGE 1,958,747

GROUNDCONNECTION DEVICE Filed July 28 1950 By J' 4.2 777 QJWWZQ A TTORNEY5 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ground connection devices.

Heretofore, the connecting ofthe lower ends of ground wires has been accomplished by loop- 5 ing said wire through the eye of a ground spike or pole or by otherwise securing the same in a makeshift manner. The resulting, joint was therefore flexible, non-positive, and did not afford a clear, unbroken path to the ground. As

a consequence, such a ground connection was unreliable at times when the radio or other instrument with which it was used was most essential, such as during a storm when the flexible joint would be subjected to a high wind.

It is therefore one of the objects of this in vention to provide an improved ground connection device which will afford a rigid connection with the ground spike or other attaching means to provide a clear, unbroken path of conductivity to the ground.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved ground connection device which is simple in construction, simple to attach, and well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the

invention consists of the improved ground connection device and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the invention, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational in attached position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the device removed from the ground pole;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the cable and clamping element.

Referring to the drawing, the. portion of the device to which the cable end is secured is similar in construction to the described in co-pending application Serial No. 455,723 which has matured to Patent No. 1,855,227, dated April 26, 1932. It comprises an outer clamping member 13 having at one end a thread- 60 ed extension 14 and having a threaded bore 15 extending inwardly from its other end. Said threaded bore 15 Joins an inner conical recess 16. A smaller recess 17 extends inwardly from the end of the conical recess.

An inner clamping member or nut 18 has ex- 35 view of the device device illustrated and ternal threading 19 and is adapted to be threaded into the outer clamping member 13. The inner clamping member is provided with a bore 20 which communicates with an enlarged conical recessed portion 21 at the inner end of the member.

The wedging element 22 which is substantially a double cone in shape, is positionable in the recesses 16 and 21. Said element is formed-with spaced apart helical grooves 23 and with smaller circumferential grooves 24.

A connecting member 25 has an extension 26 at one end which is threaded in the reverse direction from the extension 14 of the clamping member 13. Said member has its other end forked as at 26 with apertures 27 extending through the forked portions. A small bore 28 extends from between the forked portions through the extension 26 to the end thereof. A similar bore 29 extends through the extension 14 of the clamping member 13 to the inner recessed 7i portion 17. A wire conductor 30 has its inner end secured within the recess 17 as at 31 and extends loosely through-the bores 29 and 28 of the extensions 14 and 26 respectively and emerges between the forked portions 26 of the connecting member 25. A turnbuckle 32 having a bore provided with oppositely threaded portions 33 and 34, is adapted to receive the threaded extensions 14 and 26 to adjust the same with respect to one another.

A ground pole 35 or other member having communication with the ground is provided with an apertured upper portion 36 to which the forked portion 26 may be connected by means of a nut and bolt 37. The said ground pole is preferably provided with a bore 38 which extends from the upper portion thereof downwardly and then at an angle to one of the sides.

In use of the device, the end of the ground wire 39 is inserted in the bore 20 of the member 18 and the extreme end is frayed out within the recess 21. Next, the wedging element 22 is inserted in the recess with the separate strands of the wire positioned in the grooves 23 thereof as shown in Fig. 3. The member 18 is then thread ed into the member 13 to cause the strands of the cable to be clamped between the wedging member and the walls of the conical recesses 21 and 16. At the same time, due to the turning of the member 13 on the member 18, the strands of the cable are twisted together at the inner end of the wedging member 22 into the recess 17 and are caused to impinge closely against the end 31 of the conductor 30. Next, the turnbuckle 32 is threaded on the extension 14 and the conductor 30 is inserted in the bore 28 of the extension 26. Said extension is also threaded into the turnbuckle. The outer end of the conducting wire 30 is then passed into the bore 38 of the ground pole 35 and its extreme end is wrapped around and soldered or otherwise secured to .the pole. The bolt 37 is then utilized to secure the forked portion 26 to the upper end of the ground pole.

With this construction, there is a clear, unbroken path for electricity through the cable 29 and through the conductor wire 30 to the ground. Furthermore, there is a very good connection through the metallic parts used in the connecting device to the ground pole; Thus, a very efiicient and simple device has been provided for making a positive and relatively rigid connection with the ground. v

The device is particularly useful on shipboard for making connections from a radio or other electrical instrument where said connections are often subjected to severe strains.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described, it is not desired to be limited to this exact showing, as the broad concept of the invention includes all changes, modification's and adaptations as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A ground connection device for forming a rigid connection between a cable end and a grounded member, comprising an elementhaving means for detachable and pivotal connection with said grounded member, said pivotal connection providing for disposition of the'element at an'angle to the grounded member, said element also having a longitudinal bore therein, an element for clampingly engaging said cable end, means for rigidly and adjustably connecting said two elements together, and a conductor wire connected at one en d to said clamping element and extending through the longitudinal bore of the other element for positive connection with the grounded member.

2. A ground connection device for forming a rigid connection between a cable end and a grounded member, comprising an element having means for detachable and pivotal connection with said grounded member, said pivotal connection providing for disposition of the element at an angle to the grounded member, .said element also having a longitudinal bore therein, an element for clampingly engaging said cable end, means for rigidly and adjustably connecting said two elements together, and a conductor wireconnected at one end to said clamping element and engageable with the cable end and extending through the longitudinal bore of the other element for positive connection with the grounded member.

3. A ground connection device for forming a rigid connection between a cable end and a grounded member, comprising an element having means for detachable and pivotal connection with said grounded member at one end and having a threaded extension at its other end, said pivotal connection providing for disposition of the element at an angle to the grounded member, said element having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, an element having means for clampingly engaging a cable at one end and an extension at its other end which is threaded in a reverse direction from the extension of the first mentioned element, said element also having a longitudinal bore therein, a turnbuckle engageable with said threaded extension for adjustably connecting said elements together, and a conductor wire engageable with the cable end and extending through the bores of the two elements and through the turnbuckle for positive connection with the grounded member.

4. A ground connection device comprising a grounded member, a threaded element having a longitudinal bore therein inpivotal connection with said grounded member, an element having means for clampingly engaging a cable at one end and having an extension at its other end which is threaded in a reverse direction from the first mentioned element, said extension also having a bore therein, a turnbuckle-engageable with said threaded portions for adjustably connecting said elements together, and a conductor wire engageable with the cable end and extending through the bore of the two elements and through the turnbuckle and positively connected with the grounded member.

5. A ground connection device comprising a grounded member having a threaded extension provided with a longitudinal bore therein, an element having means at one end for alone clampingly engaging a cable and having an extension at its other end which is threaded in a reverse direction from the extension of the grounded member, said extension also having a bore therein, a turnbuckle engageable with said threaded extensions for adjustably connecting the members together after the cable end has beenclamped, and a conductor wire engageable with the cable end and extending through the bores of the two extensions and through the turnbuckle and positively connected with the grounded member.

HENRY C. FIEGE. 

